Warning: This review was written by a computer enthusiast. Read at your own risk!

I bought Windows 98 in 1999 as an upgrade to Windows 95. It cost me $89 at my local computer mega-retail outlet. I installed it on a Cyrix 686 p150+ with 64 MB of RAM and a 2 gig hard drive. The installation took about 45 minutes, and I didn't experience too many problems.

Since then, I have upgraded my PC several times. It now has an AMD K6/2 at 300 MHz, 256 MB of RAM and a 6.8 gig hard drive. Some of my upgrade hardware has not played nicely with Windows, and the latest install took over 5 hours to finally get right (i.e. I threw out the hardware that made it choke, then it went just fine).

Overall, I have enjoyed Windows 98. It has proven to be a simple little OS for playing games. It definitely isn't the OS of choice for my computer hobbies, though. It lacks a bundled compiler, SMP support, and basic server tools. Plus, it crashes about twice a day.

I may never upgrade from Windows 98. I like the pretty-good DOS support for some of the older games that I still enjoy. I'm afraid that newer Windows will not let me enjoy these legacy applications to the same extent.

In addition, I have been able to use my one copy of Windows 98 on my PC throughout the many hardware upgrades. My understanding is that Windows XP will disallow this sort of thing; I may have to license a new copy each time I change a significant piece of hardware.

I would like to see more stability in the OS without the draconian licensing provisions, and with the continuing option for running DOS programs (maybe through a VM or emulator would be fine; there is no need for legacy code in a modern OS).

I am also concerned about the Microsoft tendency to stop selling and supporting their older systems. This forced-upgrade can be costly and is unsolicited. In reality, the OS has become a mature product. Features that are added to it at this point are more designed to bring revenue to Microsoft, and less designed to satisfy consumers.

An OS is just an OS after all; Microsoft can't expect to squeeze massive revenues out of it forever. In fact, a good OS is unobtrusive and insignificant to the average user. Who wants to pay so much for such a basic service?

Politics and ethics aside, Windows 98 is a decent consumer level OS. Unfortunately, it will be my last Microsoft OS due to unacceptable licensing provisions in the upcoming Windows XP. It is a pity that such fine technology should be ruined by corporate greed.

Recommended: No